Surviving the Wonderland
by TranscodeNightCat
Summary: This is the story of Aaron convicted justly of murder. He now resides in G-Block trying to survive the dreaded Corpse Carnival and the other horrors of the true Deadman Wonderland while trying to master his branch of sin under the codename Swift.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Deadman Wonderland fanfiction. I'm not perfect, so if you have any comments on what needs to be improved, please share them. I really love this anime. If you have the time, please fave, follow, and/or leave a review. Also, check out some of my other stories. Thanks. -TranscodeNightCat**

Aaron, the 5" twelve year old boy, with short brown hair that was never combed, and yellow eyes who looked young for his age, sat outside of school while he watched parents come to pick up their kids. His mother had died during the Red Hole incident, and his father had taken another job to support them. To get home, Aaron had to walk due to the fact that his bike had been stolen, and he always had to go through an unsafe part of town to get to his house. He had always told himself to not get involved in or even notice the conflicts between others, but today was different. He walked by one of the alleys and saw a girl from his class with a group of older students nearby with one of them going through her bag most likely looking for anything of value; Aaron watched the girl break in to tears. "Shut up, you little brat." One of them said kicking her to the ground.

The girl had short, neck length, light blue hair with ribbons in it; Aaron had liked her, but he was shy in school and never had the courage to ask her out. In school, he received decent grades earning praise from his teachers, but he always seemed to be alone in the halls, in class, and at lunch. Aaron looked at the one bully who smiled as he pulled some money from her bag. "That doesn't belong to you. Give it back." Aaron said making a fist as he walked over to the girl lying on the ground with tears still in her eyes.

"Get lost kid before you hurt yourself." One of them told him. Aaron didn't move as he made a fist. "Can you hear me? Back off before I kick your little ass back to first grade!" He shouted. Aaron still didn't respond. Instead he jumped on the bully and began attacking him. One of the others pulled him off and held him up by his armpits while he kicked the bully in the stomach causing him to drop Aaron who started attacking him again only to be picked up and held in the same position as one of the other bullies. "This is what you get for trying to play hero kid." He said while the other two bullies took turns using him as a punching bag.

"Stop. Please." The girl said looking at Aaron who was a mess of cuts and bruises.

"Yeah, sure." The bully holding Aaron said as he tossed him in to a pile of trashcans. Aaron groaned as he tried to stand up.

The girl ran over to him. "You shouldn't fight anymore. You're hurt." She said looking at his torn shirt which had blood stains on it.

"You should listen to her." One of the bullies said grabbing his bag as well as the girls before they started to walk off.

Aaron staggered, but he managed to stand back up as he wiped some of the blood from his face. He was breathing heavily as he spoke. "Give back our stuff." Aaron said coldly.

"You really don't know when to quit." One of the bullies said pulling a switchblade from his pocket. Aaron looked at his wrist and saw the blood dripping from it. He watched the blood become what looked like the handle of a kunai. Aaron pulled the handle out revealing a purely red kunai. He ran at the bully, cut his knife in half with the kunai, and then impaled him in the chest. The other two bullies started to run while Aaron tried focusing the blood once more as the handle of two more kunai grew from his wrists. He pulled them out and threw them at the bullies who collapsed with the blades in their backs.

Aaron grabbed his and the girl's bag before walking over to her. "Here." Aaron said handing her the bag.

"What kind of freak are you!?" She shrieked before running off. Aaron sighed hearing that as well as the approaching sirens while several police cruisers pulled up. Two officers grabbed Aaron and put a pair of handcuffs on him before leading him to the back of the police cruiser. He felt weak from the fight and loss of blood and fell asleep in the back of the police cruiser still trying to figure out what had happened.

He woke up in a hospital room having been bandaged and treated for his injuries. He saw the food nearby and quickly ate while a man in a gray suit with slicked back black hair walked over to him. "Hello, I'm Tamaki, your court appointed lawyer for the case."

"Thanks, but I don't need a lawyer." Aaron said with a sigh.

"Well, I'm required to be so I'll be around." He said with a smile handing Aaron a business card before walking off.

In the court room, there were several people including the family members of the bullies who terrorized Aaron. The judge looked down on the twelve year old boy. "Do you want to defend yourself?" He asked.

Tears came to Aaron's eyes as he spoke. "I killed them. I was only trying to protect her." Aaron admitted breaking down in to tears.

"Well then, I have all I need. Aaron, you are declared guilty in the murders of the three boys and sentenced to death row." The judge said bringing down his gavel while Aaron continued to sob as he was carried away by the guards.

He now sat on a prison bus taking him to the privately owned prison known as Deadman Wonderland. He wore the typical prisoner uniform and was handed a bag containing the basic items for survival in the prison. Makina explained the basics of the prison including how Cast Points are the currency held on Cast Cards and are used by prisoners to buy clothes, food, alcohol, years off of your sentence, candy, and several other items. Candy is actually an antidote shaped and wrapped like a candy which nulls the effects of the poison in the ID collars that will kill the wearer in three days unless they eat a piece of candy. The collars not only contained prisoner IDs, but also trackers, shock mechanisms, and small doses of poison that killed their wearer in three days unless they ate a piece of antidote candy; one piece of candy costs one hundred thousand Casts.

After the explanation, Aaron was taken to his cell where he stored his stuff before being informed of his duties for the day. Several of the other inmates picked on him and insulted him for being young and on death row. The next day, Aaron signed up to be in a show; it paid five thousand casts per show which were done hourly. Aaron was playing a boy who was attacked by the super villain, but then saved by the super hero. In the dressing room, he was put in a pair of jean shorts, a blue t-shirt, and a baseball cap. The villain was supposed to use a foam sword to trigger the dye pack on Aaron's chest causing the illusion that he was bleeding and in danger until the hero saved him. The hero and villain were both rather muscular as well as incredibly talented which showed in their pay as they made fifty thousand casts a show. Rehearsal took a while, but eventually the park opened and it was time to start the show.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly during the show as Aaron did his part and said his line. After each show, he was handed a Cast Card and told to get ready for the next show. Little did he know that Tamaki was watching from his office. "Give our villain the real sword this time. I want to see what this kid can do." He said in to a microphone connected to one of the guards positioned on the stage.

"Yes sir." The guard responded walking over to the prop closet and grabbing the real sword which was behind the box of fake ones. He walked over to the man playing the villain and tossed him the sword. "Make sure death row get what's coming to him. Two hundred thousand Casts." The guard told him while the man had an evil smile on his face acknowledging his agreement.

The show was going smoothly as Aaron walked on to do his part sighing that he was a prisoner in this place and all of the people on the outside were having fun. He heard a few murmurs about how young he looked and if he was even a prisoner. Some went as far as to even call him cute. Aaron sighed knowing that they were falling for an illusion. He did kill those people, he was a criminal, and he was a prisoner who deserved to die. The villain walked over brandishing the sword and slashed Aaron's chest where he pretended to fall as the dye pack exploded, but this time was different, he could also feel like it was his own blood coming out. Aaron quickly ripped off his shirt and the dye pack revealing the gash in his chest. The inmate playing the villain walked over ready to swing the sword again. Aaron dodged the blade, and began focusing his blood like before. He watched the handle of a kunai form as he pulled it from his chest and attacked the inmate who tried to kill him. The audience thought it was part of the show and cheered not even noticing that Aaron was shot with a tranquilizer dart before being dragged off the stage by the inmate playing the hero and deposited in to the arms of one of the guards who was instructed to take him to the infirmary.

"Welcome to the true Deadman Wonderland." Tamaki said to himself with a chuckle.


	2. Chapter 2

**If you want please fave, follow, and/ or leave a review. Also, check out some of my other stories.  
**

Aaron woke up in the infirmary with his chest bandaged with several electrodes connected to his body. He could make out the court lawyer standing in front of him. "Good to see that you're awake." He said with a smile.

"I take it you're not really a lawyer?" Aaron asked looking at him suspiciously.

"No, I'm more of a promoter for Deadman Wonderland, and you happen to have caught my eye for a special attraction here at the true Deadman Wonderland." He chuckled as he forced Aaron's bed up and a monitor was projected in front of him and started playing a video depicting various people referred to as deadmen fighting with weapons made of what looked like blood in something called the Corpse Carnival.

All of the carnage was a little much for Aaron who grew nervous when the monitor disappeared. "So what do you want with me?" Aaron asked nervously.

"I want you to participate of course, and if you win, you can expect a fortune of Cast Points and candy. More than you would have ever made on the upper level, but if you lose, you can expect death." He said with a chuckle. "Are you going to participate, or do I need to convince you? He said pushing a button that shocked Aaron.

"I'll do it." Aaron said nervously as he was unstrapped from the examination table and led to his new room in cell block G which he did not know existed until now. Apparently it was where they kept all of the deadmen; it was a secret, secure underground level of the prison that people on top only heard rumors of. He was shortly informed that his match was tonight against someone named Owl, and his codename was Swift. He reached in to his bag and pulled out the candy that he received when he first arrived and ate it; it was incredibly bitter and made him cringe and tear up a little bit as he finished it. He bought himself something to eat before the match, but was too nervous to finish all of it.

 _Meanwhile…_

Tamaki sat back in his office engrossed in his virtual chat room while he discussed the appearance of a new deadman who would be fighting tonight against Owl.

 _Later that night…_

The birdcage-like arena was surrounded by panels with a cartoonish image and the name of a spectator on them. Inside was an arena made of what looked like rocks. The cages rose from the ground and opened as the announcer began speaking. "Welcome to the Corpse Carnival! Tonight we have the returning deadman, Owl!" This was met with several cheers as the tall man with shaggy black hair wearing a white jacket and light pants entered the arena. "His opponent tonight is the newcomer, Swift!" This was met with several murmurs as Aaron walked out of his cage.

"He's so young." "Is he even old enough to be here?" "Owl is going to kill him." Were only a few of the comments Aaron heard.

"Begin!" The announcer shouted as Owl cut himself and began creating orbs of blood that he fired at Aaron while he ducked behind the rocks which exploded on contact with his blood. Aaron sighed knowing that he had to fight. He picked up a jagged piece of the rock and cut his wrist with it. He began concentrating his blood as the handle of a kunai formed in his wrist. He pulled it out and threw it at Owl who blocked it with one of his spheres that he called Owl's eyeball and it exploded on contact with the kunai knocking both of the fighters back. Aaron watched as he generated another wave of the orbs. In retaliation, Aaron aimed his kunai at one of the orbs and watched as the others all exploded in continuation with the original. Aaron took the time to use another of his kunai to lunge at Owl who fell to the ground from the direct attack.

"And in a shocking turn of events, the winner is Swift!" The announcer shouted while several of the spectators booed and yelled insults at the fighters.

Aaron ran over to Owl who was being helped on to a stretcher. "I'm Nagi. That was a good match." He said shaking Aaron's hand while he remained on the stretcher.

"I'm Aaron." He replied nervously as he was handed a trophy, one million CP, and some candy. Aaron felt weak from all of the blood loss and passed out.

The promoter ordered one of the guards to take Aaron back to his room to rest. "Such a lightweight." The guard said carrying Aaron in his arms and to his room where he was laid on his bed with his trophy and winnings sitting nearby.

The next morning he woke up rubbing his head remembering what happened last night. Just then, the door to his room opened. A younger woman with short white hair walked in; she was wearing a pair of long pants and a casual white t-shirt along with a small bell around her neck. "I saw your fight last night. Nagi let you win." She said leaning on the wall and crossing her arms. "By the way, I'm Karako."

"Why would he let me win?" Aaron asked looking up at her.

"You're young, small, and inexperienced. It wouldn't be right to hurt a little kid like you." She explained.

"I'm not a little kid." Aaron said trying to cut his wrist.

She walked over to his bed and put an arm over his shoulder. "Now, stop that. I didn't mean anything by it." She said as the TV in his room turned on. "Look it's the penalty game." She said looking at the TV.

"Penalty game?" Aaron asked looking for an explanation.

"When the loser of the Corpse Carnival is still alive, they play a slot machine to determine what organ or limb they lose." Karako explained.

"It's all my fault. Nagi has to lose a body part because of me." Aaron said breaking down in to tears.

"Stop that." Karako said wrapping the boy in a hug and patting his back. "Rokuro's going to make sure that he doesn't lose that much." She said watching the screen as the machine landed on tooth. "See, he's only losing a tooth." She said as the sadistic doctor grabbed a pair of pliers and yanked out one of Nagi's back teeth.

"Why did he have to do that for me?" Aaron asked with a sigh as his tears subsided and he put his head down.

"He wanted to. He wants to protect you until you learn to use your branch of sin more." She explained. "Perhaps you might want to help us by joining Scar Chain. It's our resistance movement and Nagi's the leader."

"I don't know if I should. I'm new here, and I barely know anyone, and I can barely control my powers. Do you mind if I hold off for now?" Aaron asked nervously.

"Take all the time you need, and while you're at it you should put those winnings to good use and redecorate your room a little bit." She said before walking out of his room. Aaron sighed as he laid down on his bed thinking about everything that he had heard and everything that had happened since he arrived in Deadman Wonderland.


	3. Chapter 3

Aaron got out of his bed and walked down to the gym. He began attacking the punching bag in front of him in a blind fury; he didn't even notice Crow walking in to the gym. Aaron jumped when he heard him speak. "I saw your fight last night. You still have a lot to learn, and just throwing punches isn't going to help you." He said walking over to where Aaron was and holding the bag away from him. "You need to know where you're punching and how hard." He explained throwing a punch at the bag that knocked it off the chain. "I'm Crow, but you can call me Senji. Swift right?"

Aaron nodded his head. "But you can call me Aaron."

"I'm your opponent tonight, but that won't be a fair fight unless I help you get ready." He said hanging another punching bag up.

"Why do you want to help me? Don't you just want me dead like everyone else in this place?" Aaron asked looking at him in confusion.

"I don't want you dead. I want a good fight, and you're going to give it to me. Your Swift Kunai are strong, but you need to learn to generate them faster and throw them harder and more accurately. Watch." Senji said as he cut his arms and the blades almost instantly materialized. "Come at me."

Aaron looked at him as he cut his wrist. He began focusing the blood and watched as the handle formed. He pulled it out and lunged at Senji who blocked it with his blade.

"You're too predictable. You need to think before you strike." Senji said pushing him back.

"Like this." Aaron said pulling two kunai from his wrist and throwing them at Senji from both sides one of them grazing his shoulder.

"Better, but you need to be faster and more accurate." Senji said rushing at him and swinging while Aaron ducked narrowly avoiding his blade. Aaron pulled out two more kunai and swung at Senji's legs cutting them. Aaron grew tired and Senji could see it. "That was a good slice, but you should take a break or you might get anemia." He said retracting his blades.

"Thank you for helping me." Aaron said walking over to the vending machine and grabbing a bottle of water for him and for Senji.

"It's no problem. Just be sure to put it to good use tonight." Senji said drinking the water and walking out of the room. Aaron nodded his head as he decided to return to his room to rest before the fight tonight.

Later that night in the birdcage arena, the announcer began speaking with his usual spectator panels surrounding him. "Tonight we have the crowd favorite, veteran deadman, Crow!" This was met with several cheers and a few murmurs of feeling bad for his opponent. "His opponent is the rookie deadman, Swift!" This was met with several boos and mentions of Crow killing him.

"Give me a good fight." Senji said smiling as he readied himself. Aaron nodded his head.

"Begin!" The announcer shouted as Senji used his rings to cut his arms and make his blades appear. Aaron managed to cut his wrist and focus his blood as he pulled out a kunai. He threw it at Senji who deflected it and rushed him cutting his chest with the elongated blades.

Aaron fell to the ground clutching his chest as he forced himself back up. He focused his blood forcing four kunai to form in his chest. He pulled them out and rushed at Senji, but instead of attacking him, he attacked his blades. Senji smiled at his strategy knowing that Aaron was trying to use up his blood. "That trick won't work with me." He chuckled reforming his blades, this time twice as large. "Prepare to be sliced." He rushed at Aaron driving the blades across his body. Aaron threw the kunai which hit Senji before Aaron fell to the ground. He barely got back on to his feet shaking as he stared Senji in the eyes.

"Poor kid doesn't know when to quit." "Kill him, Crow." were only a few of the comments that Aaron heard the people in the chat room saying.

"I'm not going to lose." Aaron said breathing heavily. He focused his blood as he pulled a kunai from his wrist.

He threw it at the wall and watched it ricochet about to hit Crow who turned around quickly to block it. "That was a good try." He said turning around to face Aaron who wasn't there. "Where'd you go?" He asked looking where Aaron should have been while a blood kunai went through his shoulder from behind.

"I took one from your book. I used strategy." Aaron told him while Crow fell to the ground from the direct attack.

"Finally, a good slice." He said with a smile as he looked up at Aaron while being carried away on a stretcher. Aaron's victory earned him a few cheers as well as several boos claiming that he used dirty tricks, and he should be dead. Aaron would have responded back, but like the first night, he collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. He was carried back to his room by one of the guards as well as his trophy, winnings, and candy for the victory.

Aaron woke up the next morning to his TV turning on with the penalty game show being shown. He watched in horror as the slot machine began to spin. Senji showed absolutely no fear as he said "Stop." Watching his fate roll in front of his eyes as the machine landed on liver. His chair was quickly turned in to a surgery table as doctors surrounded him. They asked if he wanted an anesthetic, but he shook his head without any remorse. He only cringed slightly as the sadistic doctor cut his stomach open and sliced out a small portion of his liver before placing it in to a jar and having him patched up.

Aaron saw him while training in the gym and ran over to him. "Are you okay?" He asked nervously. "You probably hate me now." He said putting his head down.

Senji chuckled. "I'm fine, and why would I hate someone who gave me an awesome slice. The scar is just a reminder of an awesome battle." He said smiling as he tussled Aaron's hair playfully. "I do ask that you let me train you though. You're not bringing out your full power."

"Can I ask you something first?" Aaron asked while Senji grabbed a ten pound medicine ball from the rack taking in to account Aaron's size and apparent strength.

"What do you need to know?" He asked throwing the ball at Aaron who quickly caught it but cringed at the impact it had on his chest.

"Do you think I should join Scar Chain?" He asked tossing the ball back.

"I wouldn't. You have everything you need here. Everything is straightforward and clear. The outside world is too complicated and indirect." He said hurling the ball at Aaron who was knocked on to the floor. "Plus everyone on the outside who knows you probably thinks you're a freak and want nothing to do with you. You fit in here. People here are like you."

He stood up clutching the ball and threw it back at him. "You're right." Aaron said with a sigh as he sat on the bench and put his head down.

Senji sighed as he threw the ball and hit Aaron in the back. "Come on, cheer up and quit being such a pussy. You have new friends now, a new life; you have the chance to do something different than you would have done on the outside. Look at the big picture." He said patting Aaron on the back. "If you keep getting depressed, you're going to go insane here. You need to embrace this place. Pussies don't survive in this place."

Aaron stood up and picked up the medicine ball and threw it at Senji who instinctively caught it. "You're right." He said smiling. "Let's keep going for a little while." Senji smiled as they continued to pass the ball back and forth between each other.


	4. Chapter 4

Aaron watched the TV in his room shut off. Another penalty game show had just wrapped up. Despite the horror of the show, Aaron could not turn away from the screen as he watched the suffering and the sadistic smile of the doctor inflicting pain upon them.

He looked around his room which had been recently redecorated. The blanket was a dark blue with star patterns on it along with matching pillows. On his walls were a few posters, and there were a few action figures, videogames, and other toys stored in the room. His new outfit consisted of a white t-shirt with black sleeves and a pair of black jeans. His belt had a buckle that was sharpened allowing him to cut himself when he needed to.

Senji walked in to his room and saw him sitting on the bed lost in thought. He walked over and took a seat next to him. "I figured out your opponent for tonight."

"Who?" Aaron asked looking up at him.

"Hummingbird, we've had a few close matches." Senji told him. "Do you want to meet her?" Aaron nodded his head. "Down the hall and to the left." Senji said picking up one of the action figures and fiddling with it.

Aaron sighed seeing that Senji would not be coming with him. He walked down the hall and knocked on the door. "Come in." A shy female voice said.

Aaron walked in to the room and saw all of the floral arrangements and the girl with dark brown hair tied off in to pig tails wearing a short yellow dress sitting on her bed. "Hummingbird?" Aaron asked.

She nodded her head staring at the five foot tall boy. "But you can call me Minatsuki." She had heard about his powers and how he was only twelve. "He's just a little kid." She thought to herself examining the boy. "Swift?" She asked.

"Yeah, but you can call me Aaron. I don't expect you to go easy on me tonight. I'm not going to let my guard down." Aaron said making a fist.

Minatsuki chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to give you a good fight. Now why don't you go run along?" She said smiling at him.

Aaron walked back to his room and saw Senji sitting on his bed holding one of the toys. "Did you talk to her?" Aaron nodded his head. "What do you think of her?"

"She seems so nice and friendly. And she's pretty." Aaron responded blushing slightly.

"Yeah, now keep that in mind for your fight tonight." Senji chuckled walking off, but not before setting the toy on the nightstand. Aaron laid down on his bed and began thinking about what Senji said. Something about his attitude implied something different about Minatsuki that he didn't see.

Later that night, Aaron stood in the birdcage arena while the announcer began speaking. "We have the crowd favorite, Hummingbird." The audience cheered as the light shone on her. Her outfit for the battle was a bit darker than her dress. "And we have the up and coming, Swift." Aaron actually got a few cheers this time as he entered the arena. "Fight!" The announcer shouted.

Minatsuki ripped out her earrings causing blood to start coming out of the holes forming vine-like whips in her hair. Aaron slit his wrist on his belt buckle. He began focusing trying to form a kunai only for Minatsuki to knock him to the ground with her lightning fast whips. Aaron tried to fight the pain and regain his focus trying to form a kunai again this time succeeding. Minatsuki had a sadistic smile on her face as she continued to whip Aaron repeatedly who was trying to block her attacks with little luck. He had several cuts on his body from her lightning fast whips. She used one of them to lift Aaron high in to the air ready to finish him off. Aaron kept trying to remain calm as he formed a kunai and pulled it from his leg. He sliced the whip and fell to the ground. Minatsuki was a bit taken back which gave Aaron enough time to throw the kunai and cut her shoulder.

"Let's finish this!" Aaron shouted forming four kunai in his chest that he pulled out throwing them all at Minatsuki.

Minatsuki chuckled. "You couldn't be more right." She said catching the kunai in her whips and smiling sadistically as she flung them back at Aaron hitting him with his own weapons and knocking him unconscious. "Nighty night." She said standing over Aaron before his eyes closed.

"And the winner is Hummingbird!" The announcer shouted earning cheers from the crowd. "Join us later for the penalty game show with our loser, Swift." Aaron was carried off on a stretcher to have his immediate injuries tended to.

Hours later Aaron woke up strapped down to a chair with several bright lights shining down on him. He remembered losing his fight, and then he realized where he was, the penalty game show. He saw them talking in to the camera as the slot machine was wheeled forward and the doctor stood next to the lever staring at Aaron with a smile. "Just say when." She said pulling the lever as the machine began to spin.

Aaron watched nervously as the machine spun, tears forming in his eyes. He closed them out of fear with the tears still streaming down as he shouted. "Stop!"

"They haven't even started yet, and he's already crying." Tamaki sighed putting a hand on his forehead.

Aaron opened his eyes long enough to see the machine land on vocal cords. His chair immediately shifted in to an operating table as the sadistic doctor dawned a pair of latex gloves and several tools were wheeled over to her. "Anesthetic?" She asked smiling at him.

Aaron stopped his crying long enough to look at her directly. "No." He said sniffling a little bit. The doctor smiled happily as she grabbed the necessary tools for the procedure and made sure that Aaron could not move during the procedure. "I can do this." Aaron kept repeating to himself as the doctor began the procedure. Aaron screamed at the initial incision, but continued trying to fight the pain with little success.

"Good thing I'm taking out those vocal cords. Now I won't have to hear you scream for a while." She chuckled carefully removing the vocal cords and closing up the incision before bandaging Aaron's neck. He wanted to talk, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't. "You won't be able to talk for at least a few weeks." She said smiling at him as the guards escorted him back to his room.

He opened the door and saw Nagi sitting on the edge of his bed. Aaron walked over and laid down on his bed. "You know that I was in the same boat as you." Nagi said causing Aaron to look up at him briefly before laying down again. Nagi continued with his story. "I lost against my own wife on purpose, and they ripped out my vocal cords before killing her and our unborn child." Nagi sighed. Aaron looked over at him briefly before returning to staring at the ceiling. "Look, I know that you're kind of down right now, but you'll get better." Nagi said heading for the door. "Oh, yeah before I forget, I got you something." He said putting a tablet and pen by Aaron's nightstand. "It'll help you communicate until your voice heals." He said tussling Aaron's hair prompting him to scowl while Nagi just smiled as he left the room.

Fifteen minutes later, Senji walked in to the room. He walked over to the bed and took a seat on the edge of it. "It's too bad that you lost." He said looking up at the ceiling. He saw the tablet and picked it up. "Nagi gave you this to communicate. Didn't he?" Senji asked. Aaron simply nodded his head. Senji picked up the pen and began drawing on the tablet. When he finished his drawing, he held it up to Aaron. It was a crude drawing of Minatsuki beating him up and him lying on the ground dead with little x's for his eyes. He smiled at his work and sat the tablet down. Aaron let a small smile slip across his face before returning to his scowl. "You actually put up a pretty good fight." Senji commented. "And I thought for sure that you were going to take the anesthetic." Senji said admiring the courage that he showed during the penalty game show.

Just then, the door opened revealing Minatsuki wearing her usual dress. "Oh, am I interrupting?" She asked standing by the door.

"No, I was just leaving." Senji said standing up. He looked down at Aaron and smiled at him. "Get better soon buddy." He said smiling. Before walking away, Aaron grabbed his jacket and held him back. He handed Senji the toy that he was always fiddling with. "You sure that you want me to have this?" He asked. Aaron nodded his head. "Thanks." Walking away towards the door, he stopped in front of Minatsuki. "Take it easy on him. He's not in the best mood." He walked out of the room and held the action figure in his hand smiling a little bit before putting it back in his pocket and walking towards the gym to go and train.

"So, how are you doing?" Minatsuke asked picking up the tablet and looking at the crudely drawn image and chuckling a little bit before handing Aaron the tablet. Aaron scribbled something on the tablet and handed it to her. It read "Turn around." Minatsuki did as she was told while Aaron stood up and got undressed and changed in to his pajama pants and a plain t-shirt; he didn't see Minatsuki peek briefly before turning away again. Aaron laid back down on the bed and took the tablet from her and wrote on it again before handing it back to her. "I do care!" She said defensively. "Everyone loses at one point, and the first time is always the hardest, but you can't let one loss get to you."

Aaron sighed and nodded his head in agreement. Tears began to form in his eyes, but with a lack of vocal cords no sound came out.

"Look, I'm sorry for yelling. Just stop crying. It's really annoying." She said trying to comfort Aaron a little who sniffled a little bit before laying back down on his bed. "Just try to get better. You're not going to win any fights if you keep acting like this." Aaron nodded his head and wrote "I'll try." on the tablet. "I'll talk to you later." She said walking out of the room.

Aaron watched her leave and sighed before covering himself in his blanket and closing his eyes to get some rest and try to recover.


	5. Chapter 5

A few days later, Aaron was standing in the gym several feet away from a training dummy with a human form. He cut his wrist and formed a kunai throwing it at the target landing it in the chest. He did this several more times landing the kunai in various parts of the body with accuracy. Feeling tired from the blood loss, he took a seat on the bench and took a drink from his water bottle. He saw Senji walk in to the gym and look at him. "Looks like you're getting better." Senji said looking at the blood spatters on the training target. Aaron nodded his head still unable to talk. "I hear that you have a match tomorrow night against Rokuro." Aaron nodded his head having heard that as well. He left the gym not really in the mood for socializing with others.

He walked out of the gym and returned to his room. He looked at the bed, the videogames, and the toys in the room. He had tried to distract himself from the new life he was forced in to by bringing back familiar things to his life, but it didn't change the fact that he had killed three people and he was in prison now. He laid down on his bed and put his head in to his pillow. Images of the people he killed kept flashing in his mind. He wanted to scream and shout, but he couldn't. All he could do was cry as tears streamed down his cheeks and stained his pillow. "I hate this place! I hate it! No one cares that I'm here!" He was lost in negative thoughts sobbing in to his pillow. Nagi heard the crying coming from Aaron's room and was about to walk inside, but sighed as he just walked by feeling pity for the boy.

The next night, Aaron fought Rokuro and won. Rokuro's shields were no match for Aaron's close up kunai attacks which exploited his vulnerabilities. The next morning, he woke up and ate a piece of the antidote candy which was incredibly bitter. He got out of his bed and got dressed; he missed the penalty game show sleeping. He looked over at the trophy he had won. To him it represented the suffering he had inflicted on to others, and it was nothing to be proud of. He kicked the trophy and picked it up. He walked outside of his room and threw the trophy. He did not know it, but Aaron had hit one of the more violent undertakers with it.

A few minutes later, his door swung open. Standing there was a man with very short dark hair and black eyes. On his face, no emotion was visible. He looked over at the bed and saw Aaron sobbing in to his pillow. He walked over and picked him up by the back of his shirt and held him up against the wall. "I haven't even given you something to cry about yet." He said smiling evilly. Aaron looked at him and sniffled. "You're the little brat who hit me with that trophy." He said glaring at him. Aaron wanted to apologize and beg for him to be put down, but he couldn't speak. The undertaker saw the bandages around his neck. "You had your vocal cords removed. Didn't you?" Aaron nervously nodded his head while the undertaker's grin grew wider. "I guess that means no one can hear you scream while I beat you within an inch of your life." He delivered several punches to Aaron's gut and face while swinging him around the room like a ragdoll. He broke several of Aaron's belongings unleashing his wrath upon the small boy. By the time he had finished, almost all of Aaron's belongings were destroyed and all of his furniture was overturned or splintered. He was laying beneath his overturned bed a mess of blood, tears, and bruises on the brink of passing out while the undertaker just smiled at his handiwork before leaving the room and Aaron in shambles.

Aaron tried to get out from under the bed, but he was stuck beneath it with no way of calling out for help. His alarm clock was sitting nearby overturned counting away the minutes in a tedious manner as he passed out.

Hours later, Nagi and Karako walked in to his room to check on him and saw the destruction. Nagi lifted up the bed while Karako pulled him out. Aaron's eyes opened slowly as he looked up at them. "Come on. Let's get you to the doctor." Karako said picking him up. Aaron slowly nodded his head trying to keep his eyes open while Karako ran down the hall with him in her arms. He saw Senji as she ran with him, but she didn't stop until they were in the infirmary and Aaron was in a hospital bed. "How is he?" She asked the doctor who was smoking a cigarette as she looked at her computer.

"Not too bad actually. A few cuts and scrapes along with a few sprains and a broken rib or two. He should be fine in about a week. I'm going to have to cancel some of his fights though." She said looking at Aaron who turned to look at her and shook her head. "You still want to fight in two days?" She asked looking at him. Aaron nodded his head. "Okay, but I wouldn't expect you to fare too well."

"He's not fighting." Karako said looking at him sternly. "You need to rest. I don't care if it's some sort of pride thing. You're in no condition to fight, and Nagi will back me up on this one." She said glaring at him. Aaron grabbed a slip of paper and wrote something on it and handed it to Karako along with several of his casts. Karako looked at the note. "Sure, I'll help you get your room fixed."

"So, not fighting." The doctor said making a few notes on her computer as Karako walked out of the infirmary. "You still want to fight?" She asked looking at him once she made sure that they were alone. Aaron nodded his head while she smiled and returned to her computer. "You should be able to go back to your room in a few hours." Aaron sighed and laid down on the bed.

Nagi and Rokuro were straightening up Aaron's room which looked a bit better as they cleaned up the last of the trash and moved in the new furniture and belongings that had to be replaced. Rokuro's head had been shaved from the penalty game show, and he wasn't too happy about his new look. Just then, Senji ran in to the room and looked around. "What happened to Aaron!?"

"We don't know. Karako and I found him being crushed under his overturned bed, and all of his stuff was in shambles. He wasn't in good shape." Nagi told him. "It could have been an undertaker."

Senji made a fist growling as he ran out of the room towards the infirmary. He burst through the door and ran over to Aaron shaking him awake. "Who did this to you? Was it an undertaker?" Aaron yawned and grabbed the pen and tablet by his bed. He tried drawing a picture of his assailant remembering his face, his scars, and a few other details and features. Senji took the tablet and studied the image coming up with a match of undertakers he had seen. "I won't let them do it again." Senji said making a fist. "Are you still going to fight?" He asked looking at Aaron. He nodded his head. "Good. I'd hate to see you miss a fight because of some asshole." Senji said smiling and giving him a thumbs up. Aaron smiled weakly as he laid back down on the bed.

Hours later, Tamaki sat at his chair clenching his hands as he stared at the undertaker in front of him. "You almost cost me an experiment. You're lucky that he still wants to fight. Spectators love a pity case." Tamaki said with a slight grin forming.

"Am I free to go now?" The undertaker asked looking at him slightly confused and annoyed as he tilted his head to the side.

"Yes, but don't hurt my experiments before their matches." Tamaki said turning his chair around as the undertaker walked out of his office. "Perhaps a little pity will be good for ratings and his reputation." Tamaki said to himself as he reclined in his chair and put on his virtual glasses.

The undertaker walked down the hall happy that Tamaki hadn't punished him for beating up the kid. His joy was short lived as Senji grabbed him and held him against the wall by the collar of his shirt. "Can I help you, Crow?" He asked with innocence in his voice and a sarcastic smile on his face.

"I should kill you for what you did to Swift." He said slamming him against the wall.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" He said spitting on Crow.

He wiped the spit from his face and punched the undertaker in the jaw. "Did that jog your memory?" Senji asked holding up his fist.

"That little shit hit me with a trophy." He replied.

"I'm sure he didn't mean to, and if he did you probably deserved it." Senji said punching him in the gut and letting him fall to the floor. "If you go near him again, I'll have you splattered across G-Block." The undertaker quickly collected himself and ran off.

Karako saw Senji, and ran over to him. "Did you check on Swift?" She asked.

"Yeah, he seems like he'll be better in time for his fight in a few days." Senji said smiling as he made a fist.

"There's no way that he's fighting." Karako said crossing her arms.

"Let him make his own choices. If you keep treating him like a little kid, he's going to get weak." Senji told her.

"I'm not trying to treat him like a little kid. I'm trying to keep him safe." Karako said defensively.

"Just let him do his own thing." Senji said walking off.

 _Meanwhile…_

"How is it?" Minatsuki asked sitting on Aaron's bed and looking at the boy sitting up in his bed in his pajamas as he ate a spoonful of ice cream with a bowl in his hands. Aaron smiled a little bit at her as he continued eating. Minatsuki smiled watching him eat as she ate her ice cream cone. It was nice to see him a little happier, especially after hearing what happened to him earlier in the day with the undertaker.

The door slid open as Senji leaned on the side of it. "Having fun?" He asked smiling at the two of them.

"Relax, he just wanted some ice cream, so I got us some." Minatsuki told him. "I have to go. Try to get better." She said tussling his hair and walking to the door before locking eyes with Senji and then exiting the room.

Senji walked over and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Karako was pretty pissed when she found out you were going to fight."

Aaron wrote "Let her be pissed. I want to fight, and I'm going to win."

"I like your spirit." Senji smiled at him. "I'm going to let you get some rest now, but we'll do a little bit of training tomorrow." Aaron nodded his head as he watched Senji walk out of the room. He got out of his bed and brought the empty bowl outside of his room and set it on the floor before returning to his room to rest for the night.

 _Two nights later…_

Aaron stood in the birdcage arena with the usual spectators watching. He heard them call his name as he stepped forward. "We have the young hatchling, Swift, fighting through his injuries tonight as he fights his opponent who is ready to kill. Remember, if you weren't here for our last penalty game show, Swift lost his vocal cords and is unable to talk. Let's show some sympathy for this brave young boy who is fighting through all of this to be here for your entertainment." Aaron heard several cheers from the crowd as he got in to a fight stance.

Karako was watching the fight and had her arms crossed as she looked at the screen.

Aaron heard them call for the fight to begin and cut his wrist as he rushed his opponent cutting them with the kunai. His opponent generated a field of blood around his fist as he swung at Aaron knocking him against the wall. "I'm going to kill you and make you regret becoming a deadman."

Aaron grew angry as he cut his chest and pulled out four kunai. "I didn't choose this life. I was forced in to it. I don't want to be here, but now I am, and I'm going to live!" He shouted in a blind rage with a few tears streaming down his face as he attacked his opponent repeatedly slashing him with the kunai. He had his opponent lying on the floor as he formed a kunai and pulled it out. He used it to carve "Swift" in to his back.

Aaron snapped out of his rage as he heard the crowd cheering at what he was doing. The kunai dissipated as he stepped back. "And the winner is Swift!" The announcer shouted while the crowd cheered. Aaron picked up his trophy and threw it at the wall of the cage. He stormed out of the arena angrily. He was disappointed in himself and ashamed of what he did. He walked to his room and changed in to his pajamas as he laid down in his bed saddened by how he behaved during the battle. He lost his control and went berserk. To him, it was nothing to cheer for.

Karako sighed with relief seeing that he had won, but at the same time she couldn't help but be concerned about the behavior that she saw.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the short chapter. I just needed something to kind of bring everything back to normal in the story. I guess you can consider it a stabilizer chapter.**

It was a few weeks later, and Aaron's voice had finally healed. He was sitting in his room late at night watching another fight wrap up. He walked over to the mini fridge in his room and opened it. Inside were an assortment of sodas, juices, and energy drinks. He reached in to the back and pulled out a beer he had acquired slipping the guards a few extra casts. He had been stressed out with all of his fights and was willing to try anything to forget about the hell that he was trapped in. He opened the bottle and looked inside at the liquid staring back at him. He took a few sips hating the bitter taste in his mouth, but continuing to drink anyway. Based on his size and low tolerance to alcohol, Aaron was drunk after finishing half the bottle.

Karako and Nagi had been checking on him frequently to make sure that he was doing okay. Aaron's fighting had been improving, but his emotional state seemed to be deteriorating with each victory that came to him. "How do you think he's doing?" Karako asked as they walked down the hall together.

"I think that if he doesn't snap out of his bad mood, he's going to do something dangerous." Nagi said as they arrived at his room and opened the door. They saw Aaron sitting on his bed mumbling and cursing loudly. "Aaron!" Nagi shouted running over to him and grabbing the beer bottle from his hand. "He's drunk." Nagi said looking at the bottle. "Where did you get this?" He asked holding up the bottle.

"I's paid… ones of da… gawds. Pretty smawt…huh?" Aaron slurred.

"No, it was really stupid. Do you know how dangerous this stuff is for kids like you?" Karako asked.

"Does it look like I…care? I'ma stuckchh… in dis hole, and I don' know whater do with meself." Aaron slurred looking directly at her.

"Clearly we're not getting to him." Nagi sighed. "Go get Crow, maybe he can talk some sense in to him." Karako nodded her head and walked out of the room to go find him.

"No, don' get Crow. He'sa gonna be pissssed." Aaron said frowning a little.

Moments later, Senji walked in to the room while Nagi walked over to him. "So, how's the little boozer doing?" Senji asked smiling a little as he looked over at Aaron.

"It's not funny. He's drunk." Nagi said glaring at him.

"Relax. I'll keep an eye on him. Just let us be." Senji said while Nagi nodded his head and took one more look at Aaron before walking out of the room. Senji walked over and took a seat next to Aaron. "Hey there, drunky." Senji said picking up the half drunk bottle and finishing off the rest of it.

Aaron looked up at him and grew a little scared. "You're pissed, aren't you?" He asked nervously.

"A little, but what you did is understandable. I'm just hoping that you won't do it again." Senji said putting an arm around his shoulder. Aaron nodded his head in agreement.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

Senji chuckled. "You'll be even more sorry when that beer comes back to bite you." With that, Aaron ran in to the bathroom and began throwing up violently. "Looks like I spoke to soon." Senji chuckled as he watched Aaron from outside the door. He watched Aaron throw up for about fifteen minutes before he passed out on the bathroom floor. Senji sighed as he picked Aaron up and laid him in his bed. He tucked him in and turned out the light before leaving the room.

Nagi was waiting for him outside. "How's he doing?"

"Kid got drunk and threw up for a bit before passing out. He's sleeping now. Next time you need a babysitter, call hummingbird or something. I'd love to see her beat the shit out of him again." Senji walked off leaving Nagi standing there who looked once at Aaron before deciding to retire for the night.

Aaron woke up the next morning with a throbbing headache. On his nightstand were some aspirin and a glass of water. He swallowed the pills and laid down on his pillow rubbing his head. "Morning." Nagi said walking in to his room.

"Sorry about last night." Aaron said looking up at him briefly.

"It's okay. We all have our ups and downs." Nagi told him.

"I won't drink ever again." Aaron said grimacing.

Nagi smiled and tussled his hair. "Get some rest and stay hydrated." He said walking out of the room. Aaron closed his eyes and went back to sleep. He woke up again and got out of his bed. He walked in to the bathroom and took a shower. Afterwards, he got dressed and walked to the gym. He tried doing some training, but his headache was making it impossible for him.

Senji saw him trying to fight and sighed as he walked over. "You're in no condition to be training. Come on, let me get you back to your room." He sighed putting an arm around Aaron's shoulder.

Aaron pushed his arm away. "I'm fine. Just let me train."

Senji backed away. "Fine, if you can catch the ball, you can stay and train. If not, you go back to your room and get some rest." He said picking up a medicine ball. Aaron nodded his head as Senji threw it at him hitting him in the face and knocking him out cold. He picked Aaron up and carried him back to his room. "Get some rest." He said laying Aaron down in his bed.


	7. Chapter 7

**I hope that you enjoy this chapter. If you have the time fave, follow, and/or leave a review. I always want to hear what my readers have to say about my work.**

Aaron stood in the gym and forced a kunai to form in his wrist. He pulled it out and hurled it at the target on the wall landing a bull's-eye. He did this four more times each landing perfect strikes. "Your training has been paying off." Nagi said standing by the door.

Aaron jumped a little not hearing him enter the gym. "What do you want?" Aaron asked with a growing anger in his heart.

"Relax, it was just a compliment." Nagi joked a little bit.

"Compliments make you overconfident and weak." Aaron said angrily as he formed another kunai and hit the board again with great accuracy.

"Who told you that? Crow?" Nagi asked crossing his arms.

"Some things you have to learn for yourself." Aaron responded as he walked over to the cooler and took a drink of water.

"You know, I really don't get you." Nagi said putting his hand on his chin.

"What's there not to get? I'm a twelve year old who killed three guys and I'm in a freaking prison. Then I have these weird powers and I'm being forced to fight with them." Aaron said throwing the cup to the side.

Nagi smiled and let out a small sigh. "You're still looking at the big picture and not seeing yourself." Aaron looked up at him as he continued speaking. "You have two sides to you that are completely different. You have this serious and cold side that you're always or at least trying to show in front of everyone, but on the inside you're just a kid who wants to have a normal life."

"That side's dead." Aaron said walking off.

"I know it's not." Nagi retorted causing Aaron to whip around. "No matter how much you try to bury it, I know, everyone knows that it's still there."

"You're wrong and they're wrong." Aaron walked off angrily and locked himself in his room.

Later that night, he won his fight. "Good job on the win." Senji said running to catch up with him.

"Thanks." Aaron mumbled as he let the trophy in his hand drop to the floor before locking himself in his room for the night.

Senji picked up the discarded trophy and let out a small sigh as he tossed it in the garbage and returned to his room for the night.

The next day, Aaron sat on his bed with a game controller in his hand as he rapidly pushed the buttons defeating wave after wave of enemy. He heard a knock at the door and went to answer it. He saw Senji looking down at him and was ready to close the door if Senji hadn't blocked it with his foot. "What do you want?" Aaron asked as Senji took a seat on the bed and plugged in another controller.

"I just want to hang out, maybe play some games." He said smiling at Aaron who reluctantly smiled back as he picked up his controller and took a seat next to him.

After a few games, Aaron hit the pause button and looked at Senji. "If you're going to ask me about last night, then do it already."

"Why would I? It's clear what happened. You were pissed about something and didn't want to talk about it. I respect that." Senji said unpausing the game and resuming play.

"Nagi would have wanted to talk about it." Aaron mumbled making Senji pause the game this time.

"I'm not Nagi. Now is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Senji asked looking at him directly in the eyes.

"It's a good thing." Aaron said smiling at him.

"I'm glad. Now I need to kick your butt a few more times." Senji said pulling Aaron in to his arms and giving him a noogie. "Loser buys dinner." He said as they resumed their game.

Later that evening, Aaron sat with Senji in the cafeteria enjoying another plate of food. "Hey come on. How does a little twig like you eat that much?" Senji asked watching Aaron eat his fourth helping of pork and vegetables.

"I don't really know, but I think I'm full now." Aaron said pushing his empty tray away.

Senji let out a sigh of relief as Minatsuki walked over and sat her tray down across from them. "So, what brings you here?" Senji asked crossing his arms and smiling a little bit.

"I'm bored, and a little curious. So, what are you guys up to tonight?" She asked slurping some of her ramen.

"We don't really have any plans." Aaron told her.

"That's not entirely true, Swift. You have that new entertainment center with that big screen TV." Senji said smiling. "We could pick up some movies get some popcorn and have some fun tonight." He suggested. Aaron nodded his head in agreement.

"You guys mind if I tag along?" Minatsuki asked. "I have nothing better to do tonight."

"No problem with me. Swift?" Senji asked his friend. Aaron smiled in agreement while Senji tussled his hair. "Cool, we'll all pick out a few movies, and I'll get the popcorn. We should be good on soda. Swift's mini fridge is full of it." Senji smiled at Aaron.

Later that night, Aaron sat on his bed in his pajamas which looked fairly childish with pictures of cartoons on the legs and a larger image on the front of the t-shirt as well as bright colors all over them. He heard the door knock and went to answer it. Standing there was Senji and Minatsuki, Senji wore a casual pair of plaid lounge pants and a white t-shirt while Minatsuki wore a pair of pink pajamas with floral patterns on them that looked like something any teenager would wear. They started to scroll through the movies available in the wonderland's online store. "How about this one?" Minatsuki pointed to a vampire movie.

"Vampires aren't really my thing." Senji argued. "Closest thing we have to a vampire in this place is Mockingbird, and she's definitely not my thing."

"Sorry to hear that, Crow." A voice said as a figure fell from the ceiling making Aaron jump in to Minatsuki's arms out of fear seeing the one known as Mockingbird. "Sorry that I scared you, little guy." She said walking over to Minatsuki and picking Aaron up with ease.

"Wh-what are you going to do to me?" Aaron shook in her arms.

"I just want a little taste of your blood." She said licking her lips menacingly.

"Couldn't you do that while he slept?" Senji asked angrily.

"No, that would be creepy." She responded.

"This is creepy!" Senji said angrily.

"Just get it over with." Aaron shook as he held out his arm to her.

"I like you, cute and smart." She said cutting Aaron's arm and licking the blood oozing from it. "Well, I'll be going now." She left the room after she sat Aaron down in Senji's lap and tussled the boy's hair.

"That was Mockingbird." Aaron thought to himself while Senji moved him over a little bit.

"Come on, let's pick out a few movies." Senji said selecting the first which was an action movie.

After that, Minatsuki picked out a werewolf and vampire movie. After it was over, Senji looked over at her. "I thought that you don't go for all that white knight virgin bull shit."

"Well, I like it." Minatsuki said crossing her arms. "I'm still a teenage girl, and I like teenage girl things even if I don't want it to happen to me." Aaron picked the next movie which was a comedy about two nerds trying to be secret agents and despite their clumsiness, succeed. After all of the movies, Aaron could be seen curled up in Senji's lap sleeping. He stood up and tossed Aaron on to his bed before he and Minatsuki walked out of his room for the night. "That was a little rough on him." Minatsuki said looking over at Aaron who stirred a little before she closed the door.

"I'm not a babysitter, and if this were a sleepover, he'd have dicks on his face and a hand in warm water." Senji told her walking off.

"Whatever." She sighed returning to her room for the night after stealing one more glance at Aaron. "Such an innocent little kid. Too bad he had to end up in this place. Surprised he's not dead yet either."


	8. Chapter 8

Aaron sat up in the infirmary vomiting in to a trashcan. He was sick, and the doctor blowing smoke in his direction was not helping. "Try not to get it on the floor." She put her hand on her head irritated by the vomiting noises.

"Shut up." He cursed at her as he heaved once more.

"You make me wish I really dug in and took out your vocal chords. I guess I was just taking pity on you that day." She blew a cloud of smoke in his face.

Aaron let out one more heave before laying down on the bed. "I think that I'm done."

"I'd be impressed if you had any more left in you." She walked over and put a hand on his forehead. "You have a pretty high fever." She put a cool cloth on his head and draped a blanket over him before sitting down at her computer. "You won't be able to do your experiments until you're over this."

Just then the door slid open. Tamaki walked in smiling as usual. "Sorry to hear that my little birdy is sick." He walked over and took a seat next to Aaron. "Such a shame you don't feel well. I brought you a little gift." He set a brand new action figure in front of him. "I know how you like toys as do I." He chuckled as he pulled one from his pocket.

"Thanks." Aaron mumbled hoping that he would leave.

Tamaki stood up and began examining all of the medical equipment in the room. He then looked over at the doctor. "You're making sure he eats his candy?" She nodded her head. "He's staying hydrated?" She nodded her head.

"Why the sudden interest in him?" She asked giving him a quizzical look that Aaron mimicked.

"I always like to make sure that my deadmen are at top physical performance. It's my job. Get better, Swift." He smiled leaving the infirmary.

"That was weird." The doctor looked over at Aaron who held the toy in his hand.

"That was weirder than normal." He thought to himself closing his eyes to rest after setting the toy back down.

Later that night, Tamaki sat in his virtual chatroom. "Where's Swift?", "We wanna see the little shit fight.", "Quit holding back, Tamaki." were only a few of the comments that he heard.

"He is sick right now. He needs to recover. We wouldn't want a sick deadman on the stage. That wouldn't be a fun fight to watch." He was attempting to calm down his audience with little luck as they continued demanding Swift. He sighed knowing what he had to do and smiled a little bit thinking of what might come from the fight.

The next night, Aaron stood in the birdcage arena shaking. He was a bit dizzy and his vision was fuzzy. He could barely make out the guards dragging him out of bed as they propped him up and started walking. A chill rushed down his spine as he hugged himself for warmth. The fans seemed eager for the fight. He remembered Tamaki looming over him and saying if he won he could go back to his room and have soup. He wasn't that hungry, but for some reason soup sounded good to him.

His ears rang as the giant bird spoke announcing the match. His opponent appeared to be yelling as he pointed at Aaron. Aaron almost fell to the floor with his vision growing faint. He forced himself back up and dragged his hand on the belt buckle. The kunai started to form, but the shape seemed a bit distorted as he prematurely hurled the projectile that skimmed his opponent. Aaron saw him walking closer and grew nervous. He felt a pressure in his stomach soon release as he threw up on the stage. He mumbled something as he staggered backward.

Tamaki sighed seeing the pitiful display and the mess on his stage. Several audience members were appalled by the display. "This is not going to be a good fight. But it's what the people want."

"Come on kid, just drop already. It won't be so bad." His opponent formed what looked like a red flame in his hand that was actually blood. He blasted Aaron singeing his chest. He fell to the floor first feeling the heat and then an extreme wave of cold.

"I can't lose." Aaron said beginning to form three kunai from his chest. He pulled them out and hurled them. Only one of them hit his opponent causing him to stagger back. Aaron began forming another kunai that he pulled from his wrist. "I want my soup." He mumbled walking closer to the retreating deadman.

"Just take it easy kid. You're a little under the weather." He staggered backward shooting his blood fire at Aaron who deflected it with the kunai in his hand. He was not watching where he walked as he slipped on the vomit and banged his head on the floor.

A loud ding signaled the end of the fight. "And the winner is Swift!" Aaron was bombarded with cheering and booing. Someone draped a blanket over him as they picked him up and began carrying him back to his room. The guard followed Tamaki's orders putting him in a pair of boxers and a clean t-shirt before laying him on his bed along with a bowl of chicken noodle soup sitting on a tray nearby. "I'm not a babysitter." He cursed under his breath walking out of the room.

Aaron looked over at the action figure on his nightstand. "He just wanted me to fight." He picked it up and hurled it at the wall only for it to be caught by Karako who just walked in to the room.

"Don't throw your toys at me."

"Sorry." He groaned.

"It's fine. How are you feeling?" She walked over and took a seat on the edge of the bed putting a hand on his forehead. "Your fever is still pretty high. You should eat." She picked up the spoon and held it up to his mouth.

"I'm not hungry." He groaned turning over.

"Fine. Just try and get some rest." She walked out of the room. Aaron groaned as he reached over and opened his mini fridge. He pulled out a can of ginger ale and put a bendy straw in it. He relaxed a little as he sipped the drink. He finished off the can before tossing it to the trashcan and missing. He turned over in his bed and closed his eyes hoping to sleep.


End file.
